Lost
by Magus732
Summary: When Max and Piper go out on a simple mission, how will they get along? How will they regard each other? And how will they team up to survive the harsh wilderness... by themselves? Ch. 6 is up!
1. Chapter 1

Lost

By Magus732

Piper's POV

_Squadron Log – Page # 513_

_Here we are, once again, completely and hopelessly stuck._

_Thanks to Stork's brilliant flying, we managed to avoid being splattered along the bottom of the Wastelands. Unfortunately, we also burned out our last engine crystals. So, as we tried to collect ourselves, Aerrow and I started to go over our options..._

"Piper, any ideas?" The Sky Knight turned to look at me with those big green eyes.

"I dunno, Aerrow. I mean, we're kinda in the middle of nowhere. It's not like we can fly around for a few hours on our Skimmers and just magically find a depot." I answered anxiously. I looked up to eye the rest of the team; they were taking the news particularly hard.

"Do not worry... I know where we can acquire replacement crystals..." Max suddenly stated enigmatically.

"Really? Mind sharing, Max?" Starling smiled warmly. When he turned and glared at her, she frowned.

"I cannot tell you where it is... I'm afraid I shall have to venture out... _alone_..." He replied sternly.

"No one's going out alone, Max... we need to stick together..." Aerrow stated, eyeing the hybrid pointedly. The Onyxian scoffed loudly, rolled his eyes and turned to walk out.

"Wait!" I shouted. Everybody turned to look at me, even the angry warrior at the back of the bridge.

"If it's alright with you, Aerrow, I'll go with him..." I sighed softly; this wasn't going to be fun, but I wasn't about to let him just take off.

"Piper, are you sure?" The redhead insisted; I know Aerrow, and he was just trying to be a good leader. Sometimes, I wish he'd keep the Sky Knight routine to himself, though.

"Yeah, Aerrow... I'm sure..."

"It doesn't matter; I _will_ be going alone, and that is all there is to it..."

"Now, Max, just hold on a minute; Aerrow's right, we shouldn't just go running off in all directions... I think it might be a good idea if someone goes with you..." Starling added. The tall hybrid sighed loudly, crossing his arms and averting his gaze.

"Fine..." He relented. It isn't easy for Max to swallow his pride. Especially when it means accepting someone's help.

"Be ready to leave in an hour..." He shot my way as he walked out. Finn and Junko exchanged a look as I turned to face the meeting table again.

"What?" I asked defensively. Junko merely shrugged.

"You've never seemed to want to go _anywhere_ with him, let alone on a solo mission for who knows how long..." The blond answered matter-of-factly.

"Yeah? Well, maybe it's because he's a arrogant, selfish, 'holier than thou' jerk of an ally!" I shot back angrily.

"Yes, he is... but he _does_ know what he's doing..." Starling said bluntly.

"Maybe... he still doesn't have any right to act that way, Starling..."

"Yes, he does, Piper... you just can't see it because, like the rest of this merry little band, you've got your head shoved up your ass!" The Interceptor stormed out, leaving us all stunned; I've never seen her get so mad with anybody before.

"What was _that_ all about?" Aerrow finally broke the silence.

"Dunno... maybe you said something that upset her, Piper..." Junko answered hesitantly. I rolled my eyes to no one in particular.

"I didn't say anything that you all aren't also thinking..." I challenged.

"Maybe, but that doesn't make what you said sound any better..." The redhead scolded.

"Aerrow, how can you say that? You've seen how he acts around us! Don't you think-"

"What I think doesn't matter, Piper. You know better than to say something without thinking about it first. Max is our ally now; you can't just go insulting him like that, especially not in front of his lover." Aerrow reminded me. I sighed; he was right, after all.

"You're right, Aerrow... it's just... sometimes, I wish I knew why he says and acts the way he does..." I said after a brief but awkward silence.

"Well, maybe you can ask 'im while you're out gettin' the crystals, Piper..." Junko offered helpfully. I smiled; I guess I could.

"Yeah... if she wants to die..." Finn said rudely. I jabbed him in the gut with my elbow. Finn had a point, though; Max wouldn't be easy to talk to...


	2. Chapter 2

Max's POV

_Log Entry 337-92N-140-89E_

_As I write this, I'm preparing to head out for Krolac Colony_ _with Piper... my mission is simply to retrieve a few engine crystals and return to the _Condor_ as promptly as possible... I foresee no distractions; however, knowing the crumbling state of Cyclonia's military, I imagine taking a few extra precautions won't hurt anyone... therefore, Starling, if you're reading this, I've encoded the coordinates of the colony as the log entry number... should Piper and I run into any difficulties, that is where you should begin your search..._

_End entry..._

As I gathered what I'd need for this mission with Piper, my thoughts slowly drew back to a nagging question; why would she volunteer as she did? She's never shown any genuine interest in joining me on missions before. What's happened that she's changed her mind?

"Max? You alright?" Starling's sweet voice filled my pointed ears as she leaned against my shoulder. I nodded slowly, putting my hand over hers.

"I'm fine, Starling... don't worry about me..." I reassured her. She seemed satisfied by this answer, going back to making our bed as I slid equipment into my belt pouches.

"So, can you at least give me a hint on where you're going?" She asked casually. I clamped my jaw shut to keep from barking out a response.

"_No_, I can't..." I replied through gritted teeth. She scowled at me as I turned around. I sighed loudly.

"Look, it's classified information... I can't share the coordinates with anyone..."

"But apparently, you _can_ take people there without killing them afterwards..." I smiled to her.

"Well, there's nothing that says I can't _show_ people where it is; I just can't _tell_ them where it is..." I smiled bigger. She giggled lightly.

"Alright, alright... still, I'd feel better about this if I knew you'd be fine..." She frowned and snuggled into my chest. I sighed in frustration.

"You know where to start looking if something happens to me..." I stated curtly. She moved away and resumed folding the old sheets to get them ready to be washed with the rest of laundry.

"You're not the only one who can get hurt on this mission, Max. And even if you were, you're not indestructible, you know..." She reminded me. I rolled my eyes; of course I'm not indestructible. Just very, _very_ close to it.

"Piper can take care of herself, Starling. You said so yourself. And I can take care of myself, too; I don't need your advice, cathalta..." I reminded her. She scoffed and dropped the sheets on the floor, placing her hands on her hips.

"Look, porthaltar, I don't know what your problem is, but I just defended you out there... Piper sounded like she was ready to dump you overboard!" She scowled angrily.

"Right... I'm sure you can tell how much I care by the tone of my voice..." I responded flatly. She shrieked angrily and stomped out. I shrugged and went back to loading my belt pouches. I hesitated over the FG-669s; these grenades are hard to find off of Terra Onyx, and I can't afford to waste them on a mission where they shouldn't be needed. I took them anyway, just to be safe. Now I had everything in order: a spare cloak, several fire starters, a pair of disposable flashlights, 3 grenades, a small tarp, and a set of 4 collapsing poles, in addition to my normal array of items. I put the thing back around my waist, slid my chakras into place at my sides, and turned the light off as I left. As I made my way down the corridor to the hangar bay, my thoughts returned to Piper; why had she chosen to come with me?

Author's Note: "Cathalta" and "porthaltar" are Onyxian slang words loosely meaning "bitch" and "bastard", respectively. However, much of Onyxian slang is made up of words and phrases used only between close friends who share the language. It's almost a sign of respect to use it... _almost_...


	3. Chapter 3

Piper's POV

I didn't know what to expect when going on a mission with Max, so I decided to cover all the bases. I grabbed my staff, a Firebolt and a Solaris crystal, one of my favorite books... and, of course, my journal; I wanted to be able to record this epic journey. Then, as I rolled my eyes in response to my line of thought, someone softly knocked on my door.

"Hey, Piper... i-it's Stork..." Odd; he's never come visit me before a mission before.

"Come on in..." I called back absently. I heard the door slide open, and I turned to face the nervous Merb pilot.

"What's up, Stork?"

"Well, I... I, uh... I wanted t-to give you some advice..."

"Really? On what?"

"Max..." He answered bluntly. I almost rolled my eyes.

"Look, Stork, it's really sweet that you came down here to cheer me up, but-"

"Oh, that's _not_ why I'm here..."

"Then why _are_ you here?" I queried confusedly.

"I'm here to tell you to, uh... how can I put this delicately? Oh, I know; try not to bug the hell out of Max by pestering him with questions... you may not come back..." He answered darkly, smiling evilly. I gave him a questioning look.

"Oh, come on... Max wouldn't really kill me for annoying him... would he?" I asked, a little scared. He nodded slowly, his evil smiling growing bigger.

"Yes, he would..."

"In that case, maybe I should get a few more supplies." I began searching through the drawers of my dresser when a loud banging could be heard. It was coming from the door, and it didn't take a genius to figure out who was on the other side.

"We're leaving in 15 minutes!" Max shouted through the door. I groaned quietly.

"I got it!" I yelled back, hoping to at least momentarily satisfy his need to remind me who was leading this mission. Stork gave me a scared look, then regained his composure and shrugged, walking out.

_A few minutes later..._

"Okay, guys... we'll be back soon!" I waved back to the others as Max gunned the engine on his Skimmer. I felt the Onyxian's eyes on me before I turned around. As I moved to put my hands around to waist and hold on so I didn't fall off, I felt the muscles in his chest tighten. We rode silently for several hours, Max never once turning around to see if I was still behind him on the Skimmer. I knew there wasn't going to be a lot of conversation, so I looked around to take in all the sights. The area was pretty sparse; here and there, a few blackened trees could be seen clawing their way skyward. My eyes narrowed with focus as I noticed a large number of craters dotting a small terra close by. A large target circle was painted on the ground around which the craters seemed to be centered. It puzzled me, but I decided I'd just ask Max about it later, and I put it out of my mind. I looked the other way and saw a small group of exotic birds flying in a V-formation not far from us.

"If we are going to be stuck together for an extended period of time, I feel that I should give you a word of advice..." Max suddenly said, catching me by surprise. I turned back around to face his direction.

"I suggest that you let me do all the talking once we reach our destination... I can tell you from experience, they do not appreciate intruders..." His head was fixed straight ahead, his eyes shifting observantly from side to side as we sped over the rough landscape. As we past over the end of a small clearing and began flying over another forest of dead trees, an explosion close to our left side rocked us pretty hard. Max looked back as he pulled the Skimmer into a shallow climb. As I looked back as well, I saw an Onyxian sitting in the gunner's seat of a large-caliber anti-aircraft gun, several others around him reloading it and pointing toward us to help aim the weapon.

"See what I mean?" He stated solemnly. The barrel of the gun was pointing toward us, swinging to keep pace with us as we flew overhead, and within a moment of my looking back, the gunner fired again. This time, he didn't miss; the blast knocked the Skimmer out from underneath us. Oddly enough, the vehicle kept going without us, leaving behind no obvious signs of damage other than a trail of black smoke. I had no time to pull my parachute ripcord before Max had me by the waist as we fell. When we were mere inches off the ground, a jet on each of his ankles fired up and suddenly stopped our rapid descent. He released his hold on my waist and retracted his jets, landing on his feet as he watched his Skimmer soar out of sight over the trees. He looked back toward the clearing, a few dozen yards away, and shook his head. He mumbled something to himself then helped me back to my feet as I sat up. I looked around with a sense of dread; we had little food, no shelter, just a few weapons between us. We still had our packs, but only enough supplies for a day or two. As Max and I looked at each other, we shared the same thought; how are we gonna get outta here!?


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: POVs are gonna jump around a bit… try to keep up…

Max's POV

"_Stupid girl…_"I thought to myself. "_I can't believe I'm stuck out here with this… this child!_" I silently walked in front of her, navigating through the training ground so we didn't get lost… or rather, any _more_ lost.

Piper's POV

"_Great… now I'm stuck out here with him, of all people!_" As we trekked through the forbidding landscape, I couldn't shake the feeling that Max was upset with me for what had happened. We both knew it wasn't my fault, but we both also knew that it didn't matter; he was going to blame me regardless. As we walked, all I could think was how badly I needed to say something; you know, try to lighten the mood a bit.

Max's POV

I could practically FEEL her eyes boring into the back of my skull as we proceeded. "_It's going to be dark soon…_"

Piper's POV

I stared straight ahead, eyes fixed on Max's back. I noticed that the sun was going down, and it seemed as if we were no closer to civilization. Finally, after what seemed like a silent eternity of walking, I summoned the courage to say something.

"Max, are you sure you know where you're going?" I asked hesitantly, trying not to further upset him. "I mean, it seems like we've been walking forever."

Max's POV

"_Shut up, you ignorant little piece of sh- no, I _cannot_ think things like that about Starling's friends…_" "Yes, I'm sure… but we must rest for the night; the temperature's dropping fast…" I noticed that she was looking up at me expectantly, as if _I_ have all the answers. She nodded in understanding, leaning heavily against a tree as I set out to try to find something to burn so we could get a fire going. Finding nothing, I returned to Piper's general area, leaning against a tree myself as fatigue began to creep in. As I felt a strong wind start to pick up, and I opened my eyes to find a way to better shield myself from it, I noticed that she was shivering in the cold.

Piper's POV

I felt an icy wind blow through me, chilling me to the bone. I drew my arms around myself and crouched down, just trying to keep warm. Max must've noticed, because now he was staring right at me.

"Cold?" He asked, somewhat softly. I simply nodded, my teeth chattering softly. He removed his warm, thick cloak and draped it over my shoulders. "_Lovely warmth!_" However, I noticed that now Max was cold; to my surprise, he was shivering even worse than I was.

Max's POV

"_No good deed goes unpunished, does it?_" I thought to myself as I watched Piper wrap herself up in my cloak. As I felt another icy blast of wind wash over me, I began to shake a bit. I simply huddled down on the ground, pulling my arms and legs in to keep warm. I'd almost gotten my eyes closed when I noticed she was staring at me again.

Piper's POV

"_I can't just let him lay there like that, freezing in the cold…_" I slowly made my way over to Max, who was now curled up in a ball on the ground. As he drew back suspiciously, I sat next to him, opening his cloak and gently placing almost half of it over his legs and chest, trying to cover him up. He looked at me with one eyebrow raised, as if he couldn't understand what I was doing, but he made no further attempt to move away from me.

I drew even closer, wrapping him up in the cloak with me, trying to share my body heat with him. He must've been very tired; almost as soon as the cloak was over him, he was fast asleep, leaning against me a little harder than I would have liked. I slid back a bit, trying to straighten us both out, and so I could put my back up against a tree for extra support. He cuddled up with me, resting his head on my shoulder and sighing contently. I could only sigh and think to myself, "_I guess this means he isn't still mad at me?_" When I tried to move away and pull out from underneath him, he whimpered softly, like a wounded dog. So, he and I stayed right there… all night… oh, I guess I didn't tell you; now, my legs are asleep… but _I'm_ not… _sigh_…


	5. Chapter 5

Author's note: more POV jumping ahead… you've been warned…

Piper's POV

I jerked roughly out of my sleep, my eyes readjusting to the light as the sun broke through the patchy clouds over our heads. Looking around, I found no one; Max was nowhere to be seen. I sat up slowly, my back hurting a bit from sleeping upright against a tree all night. Groaning a bit in discomfort, I tried to stretch my legs a little; they were still sore from Max sleeping against me during the night.

"Max?" I whispered loudly, hoping he'd hear me without alerting anyone else that I was there. "Max, you still here?"

"Of course." I jumped a bit as I heard his voice behind me, nearly cracking my head on a low-hanging tree branch. I whipped around to glare at him; he was standing against another tree, his well-trained eyes scanning the area around us.

"Max, what are you doing back here? Are you _trying_ to give me a heart attack?" I gasped a bit as he suddenly closed the distance between us, coving my mouth with one four-fingered hand.

"_No_… I'm trying to find an easy path out of here…" He stated flatly.

"_Why are you covering my mouth with your hand?" _That's what I was trying to say as he firmly held one hand over my mouth. It came out as incomprehensible mumbling.

"_Quiet_. We're being watched."

Max's POV

I could feel eyes staring at us from just out of sight, hidden somewhere in the tree line to the south. As she kept trying to talk around my hand, I jabbed my other fingers into her side, a little rougher than I'd intended. She groaned a bit, but she got her revenge for it by biting my hand. Hissing in pain, I finally let her go, cursing under my breath as she resumed glaring at me.

"Stop acting like an idiot. You're going to get us killed." I reasoned, hoping she'd get the message. Maybe I was being a little harsh, but she was putting both our lives at risk to satisfy her curiosity.

"What are you-" She started to ask, but before she finished, a single rifle round zipped past and hit a large boulder behind me, some sniper in the woods taking aim at our heads. Instinctively, I pushed her to the ground, hearing her cry out in surprise as her face hit the dirt.

"Someone's shooting at us. Stay down." I commanded, hoping she'd actually listen to me now. She stayed on her stomach in front of me, shielding her head with her arms as I tried to find our assailant. I spotted him just as he fired again. The round hit flesh this time, piercing my right shoulder as I moved to get out of his line of sight. As I ducked behind the boulder for cover, I saw Piper trying to make her way to safety, still crawling on her stomach as she sought protection from the assault. As she started heading away from me, I whispered to her.

"Piper, over here. This way." She looked back at me with terror in her eyes; it was obvious she was still shaken from our near miss earlier. I beckoned her to me, hoping she'd get over quickly enough. As the sniper fired again, hitting me just above my thigh as I tried to keep moving, I heard a patrol close by, whispering to each other as they searched for us.

Piper's POV

I was scared out of my mind; who was shooting at us? _Why_ were they shooting at us? I suddenly felt myself being lifted off the ground by the back of my neck. I yelped a bit as Max shoved me into a small grove of trees near where I'd been, his eyes fixed back toward whoever was shooting at us. I couldn't think, I couldn't speak; I was uselessly paralyzed as Max took another bullet through him, instinctively shielding me as I stood up to get my bearings back. I felt the splash of hot blood across my back as Max shoved me aside again. He groaned a bit as he looked over to me, his face growing pale from the blood loss as he struggled to keep us both alive. I saw him stumble, his balance screwed up from the slick blood on the earth and rocks beneath his feet. Catching him (barely), I hauled him over to me, struggling to pull him over and lean him against our shading trees. He howled in pain as I subconsciously put one hand over his leg wound, trying to stop the bleeding as he grabbed hold of me. As I looked up, an Onyxian in a crisp black uniform swung his machete to take off our heads. Despite the damage to his body, Max stood his ground, wrestling the weapon from the young warrior and grabbing him by the neck, snapping it with a loud "crunch". Out of fear for our survival, I grabbed the discarded blade and ran, Max's footsteps barely keeping up with me as I simply took off.

Max's POV

"_Where the _hell_ does she think she's going?_" I thought to myself, my strength fading fast as I followed her as best I could. Panting hard as my lungs began to burn, I stopped to try and regain my labored breath. I was covered in sweat, my hands shaking as I tried to call out for Piper to stop. She must have realized I wasn't following her anymore, because as I fell to one knee, unable to stand any longer, she doubled back, offering herself as a living crutch.

"P-Piper…" She turned to look at me, concern evident in her eyes. "It… it won't be mu-much longer before they catch up… go on w-without me…"

"N-No! I won't leave you here to die alone, Max!" She gave me a defiant glare. Unable to hold back anymore, I shoved her away, ignoring her gasp of shock at being rebuked.

"Piper, I c-can't stand on my own anymore… I'll only s-slow you d-down… please… l-let me die as a warrior sh-should…" I pleaded, tears filling my eyes as I saw the shadows of my fellows Onyxians closing in on us.

"Max…"

"Piper… you have a lot of life a-ahead of you… my… my best y-years are behind me… please, let me die on my feet… instead of a-a hospital bed, slowly w-wasting away…" She pulled me into a hug, something I never expected.

"I won't let you die out here, Max! I c-can't!" As I tried to pull away, I felt the ground beneath us begin to give way.

"What the hell-!" We both let out a cry of surprise as a sinkhole formed beneath our feet, dropping us both down what seemed like an unending distance. We hit solid dirt, both of us groaning as we tried to stand.

"Max!" Seeing that I was still bleeding badly, she removed her jacket, tearing it into pieces as quickly as she could and tying the cloth around my shoulder. I cried out in agony as she repeated this action on my leg and upper chest. As I felt the shock of blood loss finally set in, my body going numb as I lay helplessly on the ground, the last thing I saw before losing consciousness was Piper staring down at me with fear written across her face, saying something I couldn't quite make out.


	6. Chapter 6

Author's note: Some POV flipping later, as well as some PiperxMax action toward the end.

Max's POV

As I came to, I felt the sensation of not being able to breathe. I struggled to pull air into my abused lungs, finally succeeded as I gasped deeply. I groaned loudly, clearing my throat as I coughed up what seemed like a lot of blood. To my surprise, someone suddenly appeared behind me. The unknown figure gently rubbed my back, trying to help me clear out my lungs.

"It's okay, Max. Take it easy. Just take short, steady breaths." Piper's voice greeted me as I leaned forward. I didn't think about it then; I simply did as she suggested. As my diaphragm ached from all the coughing, I flopped back down into the dirt, losing all the strength I had when I woke up.

"Wh-what happened?" I whispered hoarsely.

"We fell into some kind of sinkhole; I don't know where we are now. I can't see the sky, and there's nothing else here, as far as I can tell." Her voice saddened greatly; I felt like she must be blaming herself for what had happened.

"Piper, you can't blame yourself for this. I don't." She visibly brightened; at first, I thought I'd somehow helped clear her conscience, but I quickly realized it was only because she saw our packs lying in a heap not far away.

"Our packs! They survived! Yes!" She squealed with joy. Something about her sudden excitement rubbed me the wrong way.

"Piper!" She sharply turned to face me.

"We're stuck in a sinkhole, there's no visible means of getting out of here, and I still have three fucking bullets holes in me! Unless those packs have an airship in them, they don't help very much, do they!?" I found myself shaking with anger as she gripped the packs like they were life jackets. Her eyes were wide with shock, but she quickly lowered her head in defeat.

"You're right, Max. I'm sorry. It's just, well, things haven't been going our way so far, so I thought…"

"You thought…?"

"I thought finding the supplies that'll keep us from starving to death was something worth celebrating."

"Piper…"

"Look, I'm sorry, Max, I really am. I wish I could just magically summon the rest of the squadron and get us the hell out of here, but I can't! I can't make things happen simply because I want them to, so just give me a fucking break and back the fuck off!" She panted hard after her tirade was finished. I was taken aback; I've never heard Piper swear before, at least nothing this intense. My expression softened as I tried to reason with her.

"Piper, I wasn't trying to downplay your-"

"You know what? Save it, just fucking save it! For Starling's sake, and because you're _supposed_ to be our friend, I've put up with your attitude _and_ you treating us like bullshit, but I've had it! Just shut the fuck up and lay there 'til I find us a way out of this shithole!" She promptly turned and left, searching the area for a way back to the surface. I was having trouble thinking clearly because to the blood loss, but I knew I had pissed the girl off. As I lay there on the ground, lacking the strength to stand, I went back over all the conversations we'd had up to that point, and found myself unable to find what I said that was so upsetting. That, in and of itself, concerned me more than anything else. I suppose she found nothing useful; about fifteen minutes later, she came back, her arms crossed in irritation as she sat down, purposefully choosing the side of the room opposite me.

"I didn't find anything." She stated curtly. She growled angrily. "Shit!"

"That much I figured for myself; otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered coming back." I told her flatly. She eyed me with a sharp gaze

"You really think I'd just leave you here, after everything we've gone through just to get _this_ far?"

"I wouldn't put it past you, the mood you're in." I felt some hidden anger rising in my chest.

"What's that mean? You think I'm so petty that I'd leave you here out of spite, just because we had an argument?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. However, 'petty' and 'spite' have nothing to do with it." I slowly stood back up, much to her surprise. Something about her newfound hatred of me just pissed me off, and I somehow found the energy to move.

"You would leave me here, just as I told you to do in the first place, because if you don't, you will die in this 'shithole' along with me." Her angry glare softened a bit.

"Max-"

"Listen here, Piper. I don't expect you to agree. I certainly don't expect you to like it. I'm simply stating a fact. If you remain here, you _will_ die."

"Of what?" I managed to make my over to her, and as she stood to look up at me, I shoved her against the wall, hard.

"Of me choking the life out of you!" I wrapped both hands around her throat, squeezing tightly enough to make her gasp in shock and pain.

"Since I am not human, do you really think that it's fair to make me alter my behavior to match yours, simply because my attitude doesn't fit into your narrow little world view!?"

"Max-"

"You have _no_ idea what I've had to endure to survive _this_ long! How _dare_ you presume to stand in judgment of me! I should _kill_ you right here, simply for your brash arrogance!" Just as I began to tighten my grip on her neck, I saw the pleading, terrified look in her widened eyes as she choked out a ragged gasp, her nails digging into my fingers as she desperately sought a way out of my choking grasp. Something inside me suddenly clicked into place, and as I looked into those brilliant amber eyes of hers, I couldn't bring myself to harm her further. I slowly released my grip, gently setting her down on the ground as I knelt beside her. Still mindlessly afraid of me, she shrank back a little as I leaned in closer to her, her mud-soaked uniform slowly parting as the zippered neck above her chest began to slide down.

"Piper, I… I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I-I…" Unable to think of a way to apologize further, I simply turned away, unable to face what I'd almost done.

Piper's POV

'_Damn, he's so close to me. I hope he doesn't notice that my uniform's coming apart at the top. Like I don't have _enough _problems; the _last_ thing I need right now is to let him get a good look at my breasts. Although…_' I thought to myself. As he got closer, I noticed something about him that made me blush deeply; he was giving off a powerful, pheromone-filled scent that made me a little dizzy this close to him. From this angle, I could see a little of what Starling saw in him; his chiseled, hardened body was sculpted of beautiful gray slate, smooth as silk but giving off the appearance of a living statue. His big, penetrating eyes glistened with intellect, and the four strong fingers on each of his hands looked long and slender, the double-jointed digits easily long enough to reach up inside to tease the Interceptor's womanhood, should he choose to do so. He was quite obviously built for immense strength; this works out great for Starling because the Sky Knight had once told me that she likes it a bit rough. Max was built for more than just strength, though; I knew from experience fighting alongside him that he had enormous stamina. I found myself aroused by these strange thoughts, an image of Starling crying out in ecstasy as he ravaged her filling my mind against my will. I felt myself getting wet down below at the thought that he might grace _me_ with a display of that strength and stamina, but as he turned away from me in shame, I realized I missed most of what he said.

"M-Max, it's okay… I'm sorry too.; I shouldn't have snapped like that." I cupped his chin gingerly with one hand, seeing the look of shock on his face as I tilted his head up to look at me; I couldn't tell if it was the sudden contact, the sensation of my warm skin against his cold body, or the unmitigated gall I'd have to have in order to so brazenly touch him. He didn't pull away from me, though, and as I leaned in closer, he raised his eyebrow in confusion.

"Piper, what're you-" His question was silenced as I planted my lips over his, a moan of protest from him filling my mouth as I took advantage of this moment of weakness. I slipped my tongue into his mouth, hearing him moan louder as he started to pull away. I looked up at him, and if I'd been looking in a mirror, I would probably have seen pure lust in my eyes. His eyes widened as he blushed furiously, but he still didn't pull away. I took this as a sign to keep going, wrapping my hands around his neck as I moaned contently into his hot mouth. I felt a sudden surge of tongue into my mouth; he decided to return my favor from earlier, sliding his long black tongue halfway down my throat as I moaned in surprise, instinctively sucking on it as my throat tightened around it. I moaned a little as he slowly snaked his long arms around my waist, my own arms gripping him tighter as he kissed back. I gasped in delight as he pushed me back, instinctively taking control of me as I felt him pull my body in closer. My wet crotch ached for release as he pulled me into his lap; I hadn't had any action for so long, I could hardly control myself. I felt like Max was the same way, his roving hands gently squeezing my thighs as we deepened the kiss. Suddenly, I felt him pull away, his face darkened in a blush as he gently set me aside. I groaned in protest, draping myself across his left side as he turned away from me.

"Piper, don't. I can't… I mean, I…" I kissed his blushing cheeks, making him gasp a bit in surprise.

"Max, it's okay. I _know_ you're in heat; I know the signs because of how it affects Stork. I can't let you stay like this, all pent up with lust." I smiled a lusty, devilish smirk as his blush darkened even more.

"Piper, I… I can't betray Starling! Not after… not after everything we've been through together. I _need_ her; I can't _live_ without her." I sidled closer, sitting in his lap again.

"I understand, Max… if I were in your place, I wouldn't feel any different… but it's been three months since Stork's last cycle, and I've been _starved_ for a man's touch since…" I lifted one of his hands, gently kissing my way up one long, slender finger.

"Please, Max… you don't have to have sex with me, but I need you to help me get off… your scent's so strong, I can't think straight… I _need_ your touch to make me feel better…" He gave me a smug grin, as if he was pleased that I was hopelessly aroused by his heat-induced pheromones.

"You sounded just like Starling did after we first got together." His smiled faded a bit, and he pulled me closer, nodding a bit as he placed one finger over my lips.

"But if I'm to do this for you, you _cannot_ tell Starling; _I_ will explain to her what happened and why. Deal?" I nodded compliantly, eager to see what he had in mind. He may not have wanted to betray Starling, but he sure enjoyed watching me strip as I unzipped my uniform, letting it slide down around my ankles as he smiled to me.

"My, my… you're quite attractive, Piper… no wonder Stork's crazy for you…" His soft smile turned into a slightly lecherous grin, and as I removed my mud-caked underwear, he saw how wet I'd gotten so far. Unable to control myself, I moaned and began to stroke my dripping snatch. He pulled my hand away, making me groan in protest. He saw my look of desperation, and as if anticipating what I wanted, he pushed two fingers into me, gently sliding them back and forth as I shuddered a bit at the sudden entry. I fell heavily into his embrace, feeling him lift me up a bit as he wrapped one arm around my waist. I panted a bit as he thrust into me, my breath ragged as he began massaging my vaginal walls teasingly.

"_Max_…" I gasped out as he added another finger, stretching me out a bit as he thrust his fingers into me harder.

"I hope you take this in the spirit it's intended, Piper. You're quite a lovely girl, but even if I wasn't mated to Starling, you're not really my type. However, I know Stork enjoys your company, and as for his tastes… well, let's just say that until now, he's made some questionable choices in his love life. You are the first woman I've ever seen him with who actually makes him happy. I hope you continue to do so, Piper. I'd hate to see your… talents go to waste." His innuendo was a little cruder than I'd have liked, but as I panted in delight at his thrusts into my clit, I couldn't really complain. I closed my eyes and let the pleasure of his strong touch wash over me, my pussy clenching around his fingers tightly as he picked up the pace a bit. I heard him chuckle sultrily as my hips ground against his fingers, my eager body twitching in ecstasy as he added the last finger into me. I felt him thrusting deeper, my legs spreading instinctively as he gave me what I needed. I cried out in pleasure as he probed even deeper into me, his fingers making me tighten around him as he teased my G-spot.

"There's a good girl, Piper… you've gotten quite skilled at clenching down… I bet Stork just loves that…" He let his free hand gently cup my left breast, my pleasured moaning getting louder as he lightly pinched my hard nipple. My hands eagerly gripped him, my right arm wrapped around his shoulder and the other around his waist as I panted harder.

"Max… you're so good at this! Please don't stop!" I felt him lift me a bit more, gaining leverage as he made my body shudder harder with his deep thrusts. He suddenly moved his free hand down and began gently squeezing my ass. I moaned in surprise; Stork had never shown much interest in my ass, and to have this strong, powerful man pleasuring my whole body like this, it was amazing. His gentle squeezes got a bit rougher, his strong hands squishing my little ass gingerly as I let him have his way with me. As my overly stimulated pussy dripped juice down his arm, I knew I couldn't last much longer; he seemed to know how to get me as hot as can be without making me cum too soon, a skill I expect he'd practiced quite a bit with Starling. It felt like a never-ending dream, my body enraptured as he did what he wanted with me. A small voice in the back of my mind kept hoping he would disregard his loyalty to Starling and simply take me, but even as the pleasure reached its peak, and I neared my climax, he remained remarkably composed, that big, soft grin still there as he rocked me hard.

"I can feel you nearing the end, Piper… let me finish you off, my young friend…" There was an almost fatherly tone to his soft voice as his thrusts picked up speed again, shaking me quite a bit as I cried out.

"Oh, Max… I-I'm gonna… I'm gonna cum!" I felt him thrust deeper as I clenched down hard, his long fingers hitting my G-spot as I screamed in pleasure. The force of his thrust was so strong that my back arced, forcing me up in the middle as I screamed even louder. I finally came, my satisfied womanhood thanking my pseudo-lover by drenching his whole arm in juice. I panted in exhaustion, my lower body aching slightly as he set me down to recover. He sat next to my prone form as I started to pass out.

"Don't worry, Piper. I'll be here when you wake up from your nap." His voice slowly faded out as the afterglow from his finger fucking overcame me. I gasped hotly as my vision blurred, the darkness of sleep finally overtaking me.


End file.
